PRESS BOX: NHL approves sale of Devils

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchange•August 16, 2013

The NHL announced Thursday that it approved the sale of the New Jersey Devils. The league made the announcement in a one sentence press release that states: "The National Hockey League's Board of Governors approved the sale of the New Jersey Devils to the partnership of David Blitzer and Joshua Harris." Harris also owns the Philadelphia 76ers. The purchase price is more than $320 million, according to multiple media outlets. The Wall Street Journal was first to report that the NHL would approve the sale.

---The Colorado Avalanche signed young left winger Gabriel Landeskog to a seven-year contract extension on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, but Sportsnet reported the total package to be worth $39 million. The deal runs through the 2020-21 season. Landeskog had nine goals and eight assists in 36 games last season but missed time because of a concussion. He was named the team captain at age 19, becoming the youngest player to hold that title in NHL history.

AFL Football is back in black and silver in Los Angeles. Not the Raiders, but an expansion franchise awarded to the iconic band KISS on Thursday by the Arena Football League. The heavy-metal rockers, famous for wearing black, white and silver on stage during a 40- year career, will own a stake in a team that begins playing in March 2014 in the Honda Center in Anaheim. Season tickets went on sale Thursday and the package includes a KISS concert thrown in at no extra charge.

CBK North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said at a faculty retreat Thursday that suspended guard P.J. Hairston will play this season. Cunningham took questions from the audience and was asked about the playing status of Tar Heels' leading scorer Hairston. He responded, "Yes, but not all the games," Coach Roy Williams suspended Hairston last month after he was ticketed for speeding, and careless and reckless driving. It was his third off-the-court incident involving police this offseason.

CFB Kent State alumnus and cartoonist Chuck Ayers debuted a comic strip to promote Heisman Trophy candidate Dri Archer. The strip first appeared on Twitter's @Dri4Heisman and was reproduced in Thursday's Record-Courier newspaper in Ohio. Ayers is best known for "Crankshaft" and "Funky Winkerbean." The 1971 KSU grad said he was happy to spread the word about the versatile Archer, who is a running back/wide receiver/kick returner. The Flashes are coming off a team-best 11 wins last year.